So, PSU or RAM?

[Memelord_69]

Having problems with my pc. Keeps crashing. 
 

we know there is a problem with the psu, once the pc is turned off the psu must be off for at least 10 minutes before it can power on again. It waits for all the leftover power to drain. Which wouldn’t be a problem if it didn’t crash all the time.

 

there is 3gb of ddr3 ram which is bad, but it is all i need as i have a better pc at my mums house. 
 

the pc crashes every time it is powered on, save for the times i shut it down first. It last about 30-40 minutes and can crash during downloads or even just setting a password or watching YouTube. 
 

I only have the budget rn for one upgrade, sooo, what? Is the psu making it crash, or do i need more ram?

[jaslion]

Specs?

[Memelord_69]

2 minutes ago, jaslion said:

Specs?

Nvidia 7600GT, intel core 2 duo, 1.5tb across 4 hdds, and of course 3gb of ddr3 ram. 

[jaslion]

Do you have 50$?

 

Cuz that buys you a used dell that is leagues better than this system

[Alinz]

2 minutes ago, jaslion said:

Do you have 50$?

 

Cuz that buys you a used dell that is leagues better than this system

Optiplex saves the day yet again!

[Memelord_69]

2 minutes ago, jaslion said:

Do you have 50$?

 

Cuz that buys you a used dell that is leagues better than this system

Not really worth it imo i got this one for free off hard rubbish.

[jaslion]

3 minutes ago, XsunaTera66 said:

Not really worth it imo i got this one for free off hard rubbish.

Thing is either its 50$ for a psu that isnt a hazard or 50$ for a much better pc with a decent psu in it.

 

So id opt for option 2 as who knows what else is wrong and its clearly lacking already

[Alinz]

Just now, XsunaTera66 said:

Not really worth it imo i got this one for free off hard rubbish.

Sorry to say, but if a used system that is way better isnt worth it, your PSU or RAM upgrade is definitly not worth it.

 

Are you in any way attached to the machine you currently have? Upgrading this machine would be like throwing money down the drain if you compare it to @jaslionsuggestion.

What is the machine used for? If it is only for browsing the web you could always try a light linux distro if you want to keep using the machine.

[Memelord_69]

Just now, jaslion said:

Thing is either its 50$ for a psu that isnt a hazard or 50$ for a much better pc with a decent psu in it.

 

So id opt for option 2 as who knows what else is wrong and its clearly lacking already

This thing is at my dads house and im rarely there and would only play tf2 so id rather pay $30 for a half decent psu that can get me there. I just need to know if it is the psu or the ram.

[Poinkachu]

14 minutes ago, XsunaTera66 said:

This thing is at my dads house and im rarely there and would only play tf2 so id rather pay $30 for a half decent psu that can get me there. I just need to know if it is the psu or the ram.

Without thorough testing I doubt there's a definite answer. It can be either, or it can be multiple parts that are starting to fail.

That's how old the system is.

Hence the suggestion to just buy a used optiplex or something.

 

If you want to see if it's really just the PSU, unplug your Mum's House PC PSU and use it for Dad's House PC.

[Somerandomtechyboi]

44 minutes ago, XsunaTera66 said:

Nvidia 7600GT, intel core 2 duo, 1.5tb across 4 hdds, and of course 3gb of ddr3 ram. 

just screenshot cpuz cpu, ram, spd, mobo tabs and take a pic of the pcs insides particularly psu

 

ddr3 would suggest a shit g41 that cannot do any decent fsb unless you put a pentium in it

 

 

For the crashing issue run prime95 large ffts cause if that crashes then its ram related, unlikely psu related unless your psu likes to go insane with volts (14v+ on 12v rail for example) but that would be an instant shutoff not a bsod or blank screen with fans running and hdds spinning

[jaslion]

40 minutes ago, XsunaTera66 said:

This thing is at my dads house and im rarely there and would only play tf2 so id rather pay $30 for a half decent psu that can get me there. I just need to know if it is the psu or the ram.

30$ doesnt get you a decent psu it also is unclear what the issue is as with a system that old it can be many things.

 

Can you take a couple pictures of the inside and post them? That age system can still use old style caps and with this age it wouldnt be uncommon for those to be swollen

[Memelord_69]

10 hours ago, jaslion said:

30$ doesnt get you a decent psu it also is unclear what the issue is as with a system that old it can be many things.

 

Can you take a couple pictures of the inside and post them? That age system can still use old style caps and with this age it wouldnt be uncommon for those to be swollen

 

10 hours ago, Somerandomtechyboi said:

just screenshot cpuz cpu, ram, spd, mobo tabs and take a pic of the pcs insides particularly psu

 

ddr3 would suggest a shit g41 that cannot do any decent fsb unless you put a pentium in it

 

 

For the crashing issue run prime95 large ffts cause if that crashes then its ram related, unlikely psu related unless your psu likes to go insane with volts (14v+ on 12v rail for example) but that would be an instant shutoff not a bsod or blank screen with fans running and hdds spinning

will get you some more pics later today when im there

[Somerandomtechyboi]

2 hours ago, XsunaTera66 said:

 

will get you some more pics later today when im there

Thats not ddr3 for gods sake thats ddr2 in a goofy 1x3 config, only difference to my goofy 1x3 config is mines clocked all the way to 1520mhz and i use a p5q

 

And p5k is a pretty good p35 board, explains why theres a display adapter card on the thing, but 7600gt this things straight from the mid 2000s isnt it? Case is pretty damn clean thats for sure

 

Take a photo of cpuz cpu, ram, and spd tab just for cpu and ram specs, for fsb overclocking youll be limited by rams thats for sure unless you look for good ram ics and once you start getting into 2gb density sticks have fun clocking >1000. Though i do see a cheap cpu upgrade to an e8400-e8600 or xeon equivalent (e3110/20 or x5260 if you got a 771 adapter sticker thingy) and overclocked to 4.3g theyre still pretty fast for just office use

 

 

That psu is indeed a part of concern, p5k is a higher end board so psu may not be able to handle it and its voltage regulation problably decided to shit itself (like what happened when i try to run my p5q with cheap 2-3$ oem psus till i got this half decent dazumba) like 12v rail running at 14v kind of bad not just the minor expected tolerances like 12v running at 12.4v. If you know what to look for 10$ will be able to get you a decent quality used psu albiet problably an unrated one with an advertised wattage of 500-600w, only things to look at are the amount of rails since you want single 12v rail, multirail is trash and halves or quarters (depending on how many rails) your psus effective capacity, and that single 12v rail should have an equal rating to psu advertised rating or atleast within 50w of it (ex psu advertised rating = 700w, 12v is rated at 58a so 696w nice actual psu capacity), mines 360w but still decent for what it is, at worst within 100w of psu advertised rating but at the lower end youll start running into lesser quality units, mine just happens to be decent even with the 90w discrepancy between 12v rating and psu advertised rating (450w)

[Memelord_69]

5 minutes ago, Somerandomtechyboi said:

Thats not ddr3 for gods sake thats ddr2 in a goofy 1x3 config, only difference to my goofy 1x3 config is mines clocked all the way to 1520mhz and i use a p5q

 

And p5k is a pretty good p35 board, explains why theres a display adapter card on the thing, but 7600gt this things straight from the mid 2000s isnt it? Case is pretty damn clean thats for sure

 

Take a photo of cpuz cpu, ram, and spd tab just for cpu and ram specs, for fsb overclocking youll be limited by rams thats for sure unless you look for good ram ics and once you start getting into 2gb density sticks have fun clocking >1000. Though i do see a cheap cpu upgrade to an e8400-e8600 or xeon equivalent (e3110/20 or x5260 if you got a 771 adapter sticker thingy) and overclocked to 4.3g theyre still pretty fast for just office use

 

 

That psu is indeed a part of concern, p5k is a higher end board so psu may not be able to handle it and its voltage regulation problably decided to shit itself (like what happened when i try to run my p5q with cheap 2-3$ oem psus till i got this half decent dazumba) like 12v rail running at 14v kind of bad not just the minor expected tolerances like 12v running at 12.4v. If you know what to look for 10$ will be able to get you a decent quality used psu albiet problably an unrated one with an advertised wattage of 500-600w, only things to look at are the amount of rails since you want single 12v rail, multirail is trash and halves or quarters (depending on how many rails) your psus effective capacity, and that single 12v rail should have an equal rating to psu advertised rating or atleast within 50w of it (ex psu advertised rating = 700w, 12v is rated at 58a so 696w nice actual psu capacity), mines 360w but still decent for what it is, at worst within 100w of psu advertised rating but at the lower end youll start running into lesser quality units, mine just happens to be decent even with the 90w discrepancy between 12v rating and psu advertised rating (450w)

Thankyou for finally a helpful answer